Parasite 10.4
|previous=Parasite 10.3|next=Parasite 10.5}} is the fourth chapter of Parasite. Dragon speaks up and locks the Undersiders in; the Undersiders start to retreat – more fighting. Plot Dragon talks to Tattletale, complaining about the Undersiders having put a virus on her system and confirming that she has locked them in to delay them long enough for reinforcements to arrive. While Imp and Regent attempt to break down the door with a fire axe, Tattletale leads Skitter into Kid Win's workshop. Dragon tries to deter them from using any of the devices since Tinker devices can only be verified safe by the Tinker who made them, but Tattletale ignores this, confident in her power's ability to check the devices. Skitter tests a flamethrower on a chair, but when she goes to use it on the door it fails to fire. Tattletale explains that Kid Win would have taken the power supply out and replaced it with a low quality equivalent, giving the device a one minute delay before it can fire again. Hearing this, Dragon turns on the sprinkler system and turns off all sources of light in that part of the building. Using her bugs to guide her, Skitter is able to retrieve another weapon and fires this one at the door first time. The weapon buckles the door sufficiently for Regent and Skitter to pull it off its hinges, allowing the Undersiders to escape up to stairs. Imp takes out two PRT officers on the way up and burns her way through a door at the top. More PRT officers are on guard in the hallway past the door, though they are slow to respond. Regent causes them to fall into each other, but Tattletale hauls Skitter back down the stairs as she covers her ears. Regent and Skitter follow suit, and a non-lethal grenade detonates in the hallway. The three return to the top of the stairs in time to see Imp disabling the last PRT officer using a taser. She passes off the grenade launcher to Regent, leaving herself with the flamethrower, and the group make their way past the gift shop back to the lobby. In the lobby, the three dogs have been knocked out by Weld, who is in the process of tying Grue up with cord. Tattletale fires a lightning gun at Weld, who starts charging Tattletale but collapses, glowing with heat. Tattletale takes the chance to stick a gun to him face before backing away. Weld manages to climb back to his feet, ripping the gun off his face, and resumes charges the Undersiders. Skitter and Imp attempt to fire their Tinker weapons at him again, but neither is currently functional and Imp is thrown aside by Weld. Shadow Stalker intervenes, throwing herself onto Weld and forcing him to fall over to prevent hurting her. Skitter sticks her gun onto Weld's arm, but as he climbs to his feet again he starts laughing. At the front of the building, Dragon lands in a large metal craft. Tattletale remarks that the suit is designed for speed, rather than as a serious combat suit, but also explains that the Protectorate reinforcements are less than a minute from arriving, and with Grue still out of action there is no chance the Undersiders will have escaped before their arrival. Trivia *Elaboration of why Tinker materials aren't being used in society more often. Characters Site Navigation Category:Chapters